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MN Lawn Care Tips
Tips for Creating a Beautiful Lawn in Minnesota
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Kentucky Blue
Grass
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Kentucky
bluegrass is the most common cool season grass. It is
a high quality lawn, available in blends. Spreads moderately
and will fill in small bare spots that popup occasionally.
Kentucky Bluegrass will go dormant in hot, dry weather
as well as during the cold winter months. Does poorly
in extremely shady areas and is not recommended for extremely
hot climates. No matter what climate it's growing in,
Kentucky bluegrass will require supplemental irrigation
during hot, dry periods.
Kentucky Bluegrass seed-blends that include mixes of perennial
ryegrass, produce a tougher wearing lawn than pure bluegrass.
With the addition of creeping red fescue, the lawn will
tolerate shadier areas.
Kentucky Bluegrass develops a shallow root system that
is not very drought tolerant, and causes it to go dormant
during extreme conditions. To insure its survivability,
it must be given intermittent watering during prolonged
drought conditions. Once the drought conditions dissipate,
it will come back with a little nourishment and care.
Shade tolerance: poor
Planting: seed or sod
Mowing height: 1-1/2" — 2-1/2"
Water: Kentucky Bluegrass needs regular watering, will
survive droughts by going into a dormant state.
Fertilization: needs regular fertilization
Maintenance: low
Kentucky bluegrass was Introduced by colonists that brought
it with them from Europe. |
Perennial
Ryegrass
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Common perennial ryegrass usually
only lasts one season. Germinates quickly and can be used
as a temporary ground cover while the slower growing bluegrass
plants take hold.
The ryegrasses are best adapted to moist, cool environments
where temperatures are not extreme in the winter or summer.
In the United States, the northeastern and northwestern
states are well suited to ryegrass. In the transition
zone, perennial ryegrass may provide a permanent turfgrass.
But in the southern states, both species serve as cool
season annuals.
Of all turfgrasses used in the South, ryegrass probably
has the highest maintenance requirement.
Mowing, watering, fertilization and pest management needs
of ryegrass are higher than for any southern turfgrass.
Ryegrass has a rapid growth rate in the spring and requires
twice weekly mowing at the taller heights - above 1";
mowing at 2 — 3 day intervals at heights around
1" and daily mowing at heights below an 1".
Ryegrass is the least drought tolerant of the southern
turfgrasses and needs frequent watering in the spring
and early summer. In many golf course situations, daily
watering is not unusual on ryegrass greens and fairways.
Even on lawns, ryegrass is the first grass to show symptoms
of drought stress.
Shade tolerance: good
Planting: seed
Water: needs regular watering, but will survive droughts
if not for extended periods
Mowing height: 1-1/2" — 2-1/2" |
Red Fescue
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Red fescue
is used in northern and temperate areas. Red fescues are
fine with narrow deep green blades. Prefers shadier and
cooler areas than most other cool season grasses. Red
fescue is usually added to bluegrass to provide a better
adaptable lawn. Establishes itself quickly compared to
the slower growing bluegrass. Non-aggressive tendencies;
looks good even in un-mown conditions such as along roadways.
Red fescue is a cool-season grass used in cool, shaded,
mountain sites, such as camps, resorts, and cabins where
a reduced mowing, fertilization, and irrigation is desired.
It does not do well in hot climates, except in shady,
dry situations. In areas where Kentucky bluegrass does
well, red fescue forms an excellent companion grass to
increase bluegrass' shade tolerance. Red fescue germinates
slowly and It is moderately wear resistant.
Identifying
red fescue
A very fine-bladed grass with a deep green color. The
leaves are folded in the bud, there are no auricles, and
there is a short membranous ligule. Red fescue has two
distinct growing habits: creeping red fescue spreads very
slow by very short rhizomes and Chewings fescue is a bunchgrass
with an upright growth habit. |
Turf-Type
Tall Fescue
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The confusion between tall fescue
and fine fescue was increased by the introduction of the
turf-type tall fescues because they are also promoted
as "fine-leafed" like the fine fescues. The tall fescues
are finer leafed than K-31 but not as fine leafed as the
fine fescues.
Turf-type tall fescue are becoming a popular turfgrass
for homes and industrial sites. Turf-types are more coarse
than bluegrass, though not as thick as traditional tall
fescue commonly used as pasture grasses. The fescue is
a bunch type grass, as opposed to the rhizomatic growth
of bluegrass. Newer cultivars have the same rich green
color as bluegrass.
Tall fescue are more drought resistant than many other
lawn grasses such as bluegrass or perennial ryegrass because
roots penetrate deeper into the soil.
Tall fescues are also more disease resistant and wear
tolerant, making them ideal for heavy foot traffic areas
and athletic fields. Like bluegrass, they are considered
a cool season grass, remaining green for eight to nine
months out of the year.
Tall fescues must remain dense to keep blades thin. Proper
mowing and fertilizing practices help keep blades thin;
overseeding every other year may be necessary to improve
the stand.
Identifying
tips
A coarse-textured medium to dark-green grass. Leaves are
rolled in the bud. It has short, rounded auricles, a short
membranous ligule, and an extensive root system. Because
tall fescue has a bunch-type growth habit rather than
a creeping-type, open areas may develop and need to be
re-seeded.
Seeding
September and October are generally the best time to plant
tall fescue. Earlier seeding tends to undergo excessive
heat stress and seedling diseases, and later planting
may not be fully established prior to winter. Depending
on the area, seeding in December and early spring is generally
not recommended because the plant does not have time to
develop the deep root system needed to survive the hot
summer. |
"Kentucky Bluegrass". Landscape America. March 11, 2009
<http://www.landscape-america.com/grasses/bluegrass_ky.html>.
"Perennial Ryegrass". Landscape America. March 11, 2009 <http://www.landscape-america.com/grasses/rye_per.html>.
"Red Fescue". Landscape America. March 11, 2009 <http://www.landscape-america.com/grasses/fescue_red.html>.
"Turf-Type Tall Fescue". Landscape America. March 11, 2009
<http://www.landscape-america.com/grasses/ttfescue.html>.
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